22 Stores That Refuse to Open on Thanksgiving

In recent years, the Black Friday craze has inched further and further into Thanksgiving. With stores opening as early as 5 p.m. on Thursday, festive dinners are being overshadowed by shopping frenzies. Retailers like to point the blame at consumers—in a survey last year, 38 percent of shoppers said they planned to shop on Thanksgiving—but opening a day early also runs the risk of cannibalizing sales that could have been made on Friday. Furthermore, with stores open the day before, the idea of going shopping in the middle of the night for already picked-over merchandise seems unnecessary.

But there are still stores that allow workers to stay home and enjoy the holiday. Here are some of the bigger retailers that will be closed on Thanksgiving.

1. DSW

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DSW issued a statement: "While many retail stores will be opening for business on Thanksgiving Day, this year we continue the DSW tradition of keeping ours closed. Family time is extremely important to us, and we want our associates to enjoy the holiday with their loved ones. Our stores will remain closed until 7 a.m. on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.”

2. COSTCO

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The warehouse club has always had a reputation for being good to their employees. This Thanksgiving, the nearly 127,000 Costco employees will have the opportunity to spend the holiday with their families.

3. NORDSTROM

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Nordstrom's won't be open for business on Thanksgiving, but some employees will still be coming in for work. “[F]or the past 40+ years, some of our employees work on Thanksgiving eve and into the wee hours of the morning on Thanksgiving Day to decorate our stores with our holiday trim. This is mostly a group of employees who have volunteered to be there and some bring along relatives or friends to join in,” a spokesperson told ThinkProgress. “We’ll also have a small team working in our Nordstrom.com Call Centers on Thanksgiving to serve the many customers who shop online that day.”

4. DILLARD'S

Last year, Dillard’s spokesperson told ThinkProgress, “We choose to remain closed on Thanksgiving in longstanding tradition of honoring of our customers’ and associates’ time with family.”

5. BJ's

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BJ’s Wholesale Club has confirmed they will be closed Thanksgiving. In 2013, their CEO told HuffPost, “maybe call me old-fashioned, but I feel that it’s an easy decision to make [to stay closed on Thanksgiving].”

6. BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY

7. REI

REI will not be open for Thanksgiving or Black Friday. Because the sporting goods retailer says that they "believe that being outside makes our lives better," their CEO is "paying our employees to head outside.”

9. CRATE AND BARREL

10. JO-ANN FABRICS AND CRAFTS

“Out of respect to our Team Members and their families, Jo-Ann stores will not be open Thanksgiving Day,” Travis Smith, then-CEO and president of Jo-Ann Stores, Inc., said in 2011. “We ask a lot from our Team Members during the holidays, and Thanksgiving Day is a valued tradition for many families. We believe it is important for our Team Members to be able to spend this time with their loved ones.” The tradition continues this year.

11. T.J. MAXX

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"We feel so strongly about our employees spending Thanksgiving with their families," said spokeswoman Doreen Thompson. "And we don't anticipate this changing in the future."

12. MARSHALLS

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Marshalls, like T.J. Maxx, is owned by TJX and will therefore also be closed.

18. HOME DEPOT

19. PATAGONIA

20. STAPLES

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Staples was open last year, but changed their mind for the upcoming holiday. “We want our customers and associates to enjoy Thanksgiving their own way,” said Demos Parneros, president, North American stores and online, Staples. “On Thanksgiving Day, customers can shop from home on Staples.com and then continue their shopping in stores starting at 6 a.m. on Black Friday."

21. GAMESTOP

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“We believe strongly that our customers and associates should have the opportunity to spend the Thanksgiving holiday relaxing with family and friends, and not worrying with the stress of where to find the best shopping deals. We know this is in stark contrast to what many other retailers are doing, but we are taking a stance to protect family time during this important holiday,” Mike Buskey, executive vice president and president of U.S. Stores, said in a press release.

22. LOWE'S

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The hardware giant has decided to give its employees the day off to spend with their families.